ATLANTA – Following a federal investigation, the Georgia Department of Public Health has reinstated an employee in Atlanta wrongly disciplined and terminated for absences protected under federal law and paid them $77,314 in back wages to resolve violations of the Family and Medical Leave Act.
The U.S. Department of Labor’s Wage and Hour Division investigation determined the state’s Department of Public Health wrongly denied the employee’s request for leave for an FMLA-qualified condition. The denial of FMLA benefits by the employer resulted in wrongful discipline and subsequent termination of the worker’s employment which prompted the investigation.
In addition to recovering the worker’s back wages, the division ensured the employer reinstated them to an equivalent position, including equivalent salary, benefits, retirement plan and accrued leave they would have earned had the employer not wrongly terminated them.
“The Family and Medical Leave Act exists to prevent workers from being forced to make the difficult choice between keeping their jobs and caring for their themselves and their families,” explained Wage and Hour Division District Director Steven Salazar in Atlanta. “When employers deny workers their rights to the FMLA and other protections, they may find it more difficult to retain valued employees and recruit others to operate their businesses successfully.”
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